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Top story
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Leadership group mulls choices as Assembly pulls funding
The Wales Management Council (WMC) leadership agency is reviewing its options after the Assembly Government diverted funding to a separate project led by Cardiff University. WMC was backed by the Assembly to promote good business leadership in Wales. That role will now be taken by Cardiff University, Glyndwr University in Wrexham and Tattum Guest, the Mid Wales accountancy firm. WMC chief executive Christopher Ward told Insider: “The Assembly has decided to fund leadership and management in a different way. The WMC board is reviewing its options in a difficult marketplace.” One option is to retain the board, chaired by former banker Andrew Wilkinson and dominated by the private sector, while cutting its day-to-day work. Meanwhile, Cardiff University is to offer smaller companies funding of up to 50 per cent for training in management and leadership skills. The Cardiff University Leadership and Management Development Fund is open to companies in Wales with the initial offer ending in July 2009.
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Development
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Newport backs stadium with soul
Newport Council has voted narrowly in favour of allowing the expansion and transformation of Newport Gwent Dragons’ rugby ground at Rodney Parade. The council’s planning committee voted 6-4 in favour of the £40m scheme. The development will include private and student flats. Council leader Matthew Evans announced the application’s success with a dig at rival developments. He said the new Rodney Parade would be “almost unique among modern stadium developments, which tend to be on soulless, out-of-town locations, and often hard to reach on public transport.”
Green travel scheme for Cardiff
Cardiff Council and the Assembly Government will invest £28.5m in a transport system for Cardiff to include revamped parking, a park and ride station, free bikes and free buses. The capital is the first place to get backing from the Assembly’s Sustainable Travel Towns Initiative, which will be rolled out elsewhere if it proves successful. The project includes a free city centre shuttle service and park and ride facilities at Pentwyn. It will also pay for the proposed Pont-y-Werin bridge over the Ely river between Penarth and the capital’s Sports Village complex.
Hub has designs on green building
More than 50 design and construction organisations have joined a group promoted by the Assembly Government to cut carbon emissions from buildings. The Zero Carbon Hub Wales aims to help the Assembly end CO2 emissions from new buildings by 2011 and cut greenhouse gases from Wales by 3 per cent a year from 2011. It will advise on cutting emissions, promote commercial opportunities and investigate the skills and training needed to achieve this in the construction industry. Members include groups such as the CBI, the Institution of Civil Engineers and Design Commission for Wales; builders including Castleoak, Morrison Construction and Wates; architects Stride Treglown Davies and Holder Mathias; and materials business Kingspan.
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Enterprise
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Assembly’s £14m export drive
The Assembly Government is to step up its support for companies looking to take advantage of the weak pound by exporting their wares. The £14m Export Assist programme will provide funding to 250 companies to trade overseas, and advice and guidance to 1,600 businesses. Some in government see investing in exports as a safer bet than trying to attract inward investment in the economic climate. The scheme will use the expertise of the Assembly’s International Business Wales arm. Deputy first minister Ieuan Wyn Jones said: “It is essential that we continue to help our companies to benefit from these opportunities – not only to weather the current recession, but also to ensure that exporters are well placed for major growth once the global economy picks up.”
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Economy
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Davies to push case on cuts
Finance minister Andrew Davies will join colleagues from Scotland and Northern Ireland in Edinburgh today to ask the Treasury for a reduction in £500m of spending cuts, which could be imposed on the Assembly. Davies will meet treasury secretary Yvette Cooper and is expected to outline the effects of the budget cuts on Assembly services and economic recovery plans. The UK government wants the administrations in Cardiff, Edinburgh and Belfast to make efficiency savings. Davies said: “We plan to do at least as well as the UK government on achieving genuine efficiencies in future years.”
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Health
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Institute will promote collaboration…
The Welsh Assembly Government has set up an institute to fund and stimulate research into diseases, cures and treatments. The National Institute for Health and Social Care Research will offer funding to tackle chronic diseases and promote collaborative working. It is also expected to develop a health research and development faculty and centre of excellence in social care. Health minister Edwina Hart said: “The institute will provide support to enable us to conduct world-class research on major health conditions and innovating new medical technologies.”
… but companies are cleaned out of hospital
Cleaning, catering and security staff at Neath-Port Talbot Hospital have moved back into the NHS as part of the Assembly Government’s commitment to end private sector involvement in the health service. The 250 staff moved into the private sector when the Private Finance Initiative-funded hospital opened in 2002, but will now become employees of Abertawe Bro Morgannwg University NHS Trust. Abertawe chairman Win Griffiths said: “I would also like to say a warm thank you to the private companies that have delivered these services, working in close partnership with us since 2002. It has been a very successful partnership that has resulted in high standards of service.”
Chairs chosen for boards
The chairmen who will lead seven new local health boards (LHBs) in Wales have been unveiled. They are Win Griffiths at Abertawe Bro Morgannwg University LHB; David Jenkins at Aneurin Bevan LHB; Michael Williams at Betsi Cadwaladr University LHB; David Francis at Cardiff & Vale University LHB; Christopher Jones at Cwm Taf LHB; Chris Martin at Hywel Dda LHB; and Chris Mann at Powys Teaching LHB. They will start running shadow versions of the boards from June and will take over the NHS when the present system of trusts is scrapped in October.
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Tax
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Councils get £450,000 rates rebate
Torfaen and Monmouthshire councils have shared a £450,000 rates rebate after an adviser persuaded the valuation tribunal that their buildings were in serious disrepair. Surveyor Cooke & Arkwright won a 20 per cent backdated rates cut for the councils for County Hall in Cwmbran. The buildings are due to be demolished. The rebate applies to the 2000 rating list, which took effect for the five years from April 2000, and will also benefit Torfaen and Monmouthshire’s joint building management company Monitor Facilities Management. Cooke & Arkwright’s Andrew West is seeking a further reduction for the 2005 rating assessments at the building.
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Insider in print
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Subscribe to Wales Business Insider magazine
The latest issue of Insider , Wales’ best-read magazine for industry, commerce and professional services, will be unleashed within weeks. The April issue includes a feature on the most innovative companies in Wales and a report on mergers and acquisitions, as well as your usual monthly fixes of priceless information, peerless investigation, valuable views and unmatched analysis. New customers can subscribe online for one year at an exclusive discounted rate (20 per cent off the cover price – submit promotional code M6) and also receive complimentary copies of our South West & South Wales Dealmakers Guide and UK Business Insider (combined RRP = £190). To receive your personal copy simply order online and submit promotional code M6. This offer is available until 20 March 2009.
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